From: Senator (Cassiodorus the Elder), Praetorian Prefect
To: Ambrosius, Deputy
Date: ~538 AD
Context: Cassiodorus writes to his deputy regarding administrative matters and the maintenance of the food supply, with philosophical reflections on the interconnection of all things and the duty of the administrator.
Those who observe changes in the usual order of things are often troubled, because what runs counter to custom frequently portends something ominous. Nothing happens without a cause, and the attentive administrator sees significance in what the careless overlook. We therefore write to you with specific instructions regarding the matters under your supervision.
The management of the food supply is not merely a technical operation -- it is a moral obligation. When the granaries are full and distribution is orderly, the people have peace. When supply fails or corruption intervenes, the consequences fall hardest on those who can least afford to bear them. An administrator who allows grain to spoil through negligence or to be diverted through corruption is as guilty as a soldier who abandons his post.
We therefore order you to inspect the granaries personally, verify the quantities recorded against what is actually stored, and ensure that distribution proceeds according to the established schedules. Any discrepancies must be reported immediately. Those found responsible for shortfalls will face the severest consequences, because the people's food supply is sacred trust. Deal honestly with the merchants who supply us, paying fair prices promptly -- if we earn a reputation for honest dealing, the supply will flow freely; if we cheat our suppliers, they will find reasons to sell elsewhere.
Be diligent, be fair, be prompt. The health of the state depends on men like you more than on generals and senators, for hunger is a more dangerous enemy than any barbarian.
XXV.
AMBROSIO V. I. AGENTI VICES SENATOR PPO.
[1] Plerumque solliciti fiunt, qui mutatos rerum ordines intuentur, quia saepe portendunt aliqua, quae consuetudini probantur adversa. nihil enim sine causa geritur nec mundus fortuitis casibus implicatur, sed quicquid venire videmus ad terminum, divinum constat esse consilium. suspenduntur homines, cum sua reges constituta mutaverint, si aliter induti procedant quam eorum usus inoleverat. quis autem de talibus non magna curiositate turbetur, si versa vice consuetudinum a sideribus aliquid venire videatur obscurum? nam sicut certa securitas est suis vicibus tempora notare currentia, sic magna curiositate complemur, cum mutari talia sentiuntur. [2] Quale est, rogo, stellarum primarium conspicere et eius solita lumina non videre? lunam noctis decus intueri orbe suo plenam et naturali splendore vacuatam? cernimus adhuc cuncti quasi venetum solem: miramur media die umbras corpora non habere et vigorem illum fortissimi caloris usque ad extremi teporis inertiam pervenisse, quod non eclipsis momentaneo defectu, sed totius paene anni agi nihilominus constat excursu. [3] Qualis ergo timor est diutius sustinere quod vel in summa solet populos celeritate terrere? habuimus itaque sine procellis hiemem, sine temperie vernum, sine ardoribus aestatem. unde iam speretur posse venire temperiem, quando menses qui fructus decoquere poterant boreis flatibus vehementer algebant? quid enim fertilitatem producat, si terra aestivis mensibus non calescat? quid germen aperiat, si matrix pluviam non resumat? duo haec elementis omnibus probamus adversa rigorem perpetuum et contrariam siccitatem. mutaverunt se tempora non mutando et quod mixtis imbribus solebat effici, ex ariditate sola non potest optineri. [4] Atque ideo de veteribus frugibus prudentia tua futuram vincat inopiam, quia tanta fuit anni praeteriti felix ubertas, ut et venturis mensibus provisa sufficiant. reponatur omne quod ad victum quaeritur. facile privatus necessaria reperit, cum se publicus apparatus expleverit. [5] Sed ne te praesens causa magna haesitatione discruciet, ad considerationem revertere naturalium rerum et fit ratione certum, quod stupenti vulgo videtur ambiguum. sic enim constat divina ordinatione dispositum, sic astra praesentis anni in domiciliis suis mutuis amministrationibus convenerunt, ut supra solitum hiems sicca redderetur et frigida. hinc aer nivibus nimio rigore densatus ardore solis in nulla raritate perductus est, sed in assumpta crassitate perdurans et caloribus eius obstitit et aspectum humanae fragilitatis elusit. media enim quae sunt, nostris dominantur obtutibus et per ipsa tantum videre possumus, quantum nobis sui corporis tenuitate concedunt. [6] Hoc enim inane magnum, quod inter caelum terramque elementi more liquidissimi pervagatur, dum contigerit esse purum et solis claritate respersum, nostros veraciter pandit aspectus: si vero aliqua fuerit permixtione congregatum, tunc tenso quasi quodam corio nec colores proprios nec calores pervenire facit astrorum. quod etiam aliis saeculis aere nubilo pro tempore frequenter efficitur. hinc est quod diutius radii siderum insolito colore fuscati sunt, quod novum frigus messor expavit, quod accessu temporis poma duruerunt, quod uvarum senectus acerba est. [7] Sed si hoc divinae providentiae tradatur, satagere non debemus, quando ipsius imperio prodigia quaerere prohibemur. illud tamen sine dubio terrenis fructibus adversarium esse cognoscimus, ubi alimonia consueta nutriri lege propria non videmus. proinde agat sollicitudo vestra, ne nos unius anni sterilitas turbare videatur, dum sic ab illo primo amministratore dignitatis nostrae provisum est, ut praecedens copia sequentem valuisset mitigare penuriam.
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From:Senator (Cassiodorus the Elder), Praetorian Prefect
To:Ambrosius, Deputy
Date:~538 AD
Context:Cassiodorus writes to his deputy regarding administrative matters and the maintenance of the food supply, with philosophical reflections on the interconnection of all things and the duty of the administrator.
Those who observe changes in the usual order of things are often troubled, because what runs counter to custom frequently portends something ominous. Nothing happens without a cause, and the attentive administrator sees significance in what the careless overlook. We therefore write to you with specific instructions regarding the matters under your supervision.
The management of the food supply is not merely a technical operation -- it is a moral obligation. When the granaries are full and distribution is orderly, the people have peace. When supply fails or corruption intervenes, the consequences fall hardest on those who can least afford to bear them. An administrator who allows grain to spoil through negligence or to be diverted through corruption is as guilty as a soldier who abandons his post.
We therefore order you to inspect the granaries personally, verify the quantities recorded against what is actually stored, and ensure that distribution proceeds according to the established schedules. Any discrepancies must be reported immediately. Those found responsible for shortfalls will face the severest consequences, because the people's food supply is sacred trust. Deal honestly with the merchants who supply us, paying fair prices promptly -- if we earn a reputation for honest dealing, the supply will flow freely; if we cheat our suppliers, they will find reasons to sell elsewhere.
Be diligent, be fair, be prompt. The health of the state depends on men like you more than on generals and senators, for hunger is a more dangerous enemy than any barbarian.
Modern English rendering for readability. See the 19th-century translation or original Latin/Greek for scholarly use.